Sawmill.



D. W. JONES. SAWMILL APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1909. 963,770. Patented July 12, 1910.

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Di W. JONES. v SAWMILL. APPIIUATION $111111)` SEPT. 27, 1909V 963,770, Patented Julyl 12, 1910.

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"mamy DANIEL WALLACE JONES, OF LANCASTER, VIRGINIA.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL WALLACE JONES, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sawmills, of which the following is a speciiication.

The invention relates to improvements in saw-mills, and consists in the novel features hereinafter` described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The invention pertains more particularly to the vertically and longitudinally adjustable dogs which are carried by the movable knees for holding the logs on the blocks preparatory to and during the sawing operation, and in accordance with my invention I provide the saw-mill knees with dogs and cooperative mechanism which will prevent the dogs from getting into the plane of the saw and also at the proper time permit the dogs to move inwardly or in a direction from the saw without manual aid or automatically.

The objects of my invention are, among other purposes, to obviate all the accidents and loss which may occur from the movement of a dog into the path of the saw, to guard against the results of carelessness on the part of the sawyer with respect to the relation of the dog to the plane of the saw, to relieve the sawyer of the responsibility of determining when the dog is in such proximity to the plane of the saw as to require its readjustment and to save the time of the Sawyer in effecting a readjustment of the dog.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, of a saw-mill equipped with a dog and coperating mechanism embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a top view of a portion of the same; Fig. 3 is a reverse end elevation, partly broken away, of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, the boX-like carrier which holds the dog and is mounted on the knee being in vertical section on the dotted line 4-4 of Fig. 6; Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectionthrough the knee and dog-cooperating Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led September 27, 1909.

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SAWMILL.

Patented July 12, 1910. sel-iai No. 519,777.

mechanism on the dotted line 5-5 of Fig. 6; Fig. 6 is an edge view, partly broken away, of the knee with the dog and some of its mechanism shown in vertical section on the dotted line 6-6 of Fig. 7; Fig. 7 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, the dog being shown in its retracted position; Fig. 8 is an end elevation of a portion of a saw-mill embodying a modified form or arrangement of my invention; Fig. 9 is a horizontal section of the same on the dotted line 9-9 of Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 is a horizontal section of the same on the dotted line 10-10 of Fig. 8.

In the drawings, referring to Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, l0 designates one of the usual blocks of a saw-mill on which the log 11 is supported and carried, 12 a portion of the customary carriage supporting said blocks, 13 the track-rails for the wheels of said carriage, 14 a knee slidably mounted on said block, 15 the dog to engage said log, and 16 the saw. The knee 14 will be of any suitable construotion and at its lower end rests, as usual, on the block 10 at opposite sides of a groove 17 (Fig. 2) therein provided to receive a rack-bar 18 which is rigid with the knee and engaged by a gear wheel 19 on a shaft 2O carried by the block. The rackbar 18, gear wheel 19 and shaft 20 constitute the familiar mechanism employed in saw-mills for enabling the shifting of the knee 14 toward or from the plane of the saw 16 and therefore do not require detailed description.

My invention relates to the dog 15 and its cooperating mechanism.

The dog 15 comprises an outer end prong 21 and a bar-like body 22, which, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4, is longitudinally slotted or bifurcated to form upper and lower arms 23, 24, respectively, the former having a series of transverse pin-holes 25 and the arm 24 a series of ratchet teeth 26. The dog 15 is adjustably mounted in a box or frame 27 which is adjustable vertically on the knee 14. In the present instance the frame 27 is in the form of a rectangular box, and a vertical bar 28 offset from the knee 14, passes through openings 29 in the top and bottom of said boX and close to the back of the same (Figs. 5 Aand 6). The back of the boX 27 isclose between the bar 28 and knee 14 and the boX is slidable vertically on said The means for securing the box or frame 27 on the bar 28 may be an eccentric 30 pivotally secured within and to the box and operable by a handle-bar 31 extending outwardly through a slot 32 in the face of the box or frame and having a ball or weighted outer end 33 adapted to normally keep the eccentric in locking engagement with the bar 28 and thereby lock the box or frame 27 thereon. By lifting the end 33 of the bar 31 the eccentric 30 will be released from the bar 28, and then the box 27 may be moved vertically on said bar at will. When the box 27 has been placed in proper position on the bar 28 and the weighted end of thebar 31 is released the eccentric will automatically engage the bar 28 and lock the box 27 thereon. rI`he bar 31 may be used as a convenient handle in moving the s box 27 vertically. The body 22 of the dog 15 extends horizontally through and is supported and guided in its movements by the ends of the box or frame 27, the outer end of said body 22 being in an opening 34 in one end of said box or frame and the arms be automatically withdrawn inwardly or in a direction toward the box 27.

The dog 15 will be adjusted horizontally to any suitable position to engage the log 11 and when so adjusted secured by means of a pin 39 mounted in the front of the box 27 and adapted at its inner end to enter any one of the holes 25 in the dog. The pin 39 has at its outer end a head 40 and near its inner end a collar or shoulder 41. Between.

`the shoulder 41 and the inner face of the front of the box 27, there is mounted on the pin 39 a coiled spring 42, which has a normal tension acting to press the inner end of the pin toward the dog 15. When the inner end of the pin 39 is in a hole 25 of the dog 15, the latter becomes secured in its adjusted position and can not be moved in either direction until said pin has been withdrawn therefrom. It is desirable under some circumstances that the dog 15 be locked against outward movement, such as might be caused by the pull or tilting of the log against the prong 21, after the pin 39 has been withdrawn from the dog for purposes of readjustment or otherwise, and to this end I form the ratchet teeth 26 on the arm 24 of the dog and provide a spring pawl 43 to engage said teeth, said pawl and teeth permitting the spring 38 when the dog j j is entirely released, to pull said dog inwardly to its retracted position, but preventing the dog 15 from sliding or being pulled outwill prevent a reverse movement of the dog.

The pawl 43 is pivotally mounted on the end of the box 27, as shown in Fig. 5, and has pivotally connected with it one end of a pivoted lever-arm 44, whose other end is in 4the form of an eye encompassingV the pin 39 adjacent to the head 40 of the latter, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. wWhen the pin 39 is moved inwardly and its inner end is entering one of the holes 25 in the dog 15, the head 40 on the pin will press against the adjacent end of the lever arm 44 and move it inwardly for the purpose of withdrawing the other end of said lever-arm outwardly and freeing the pawl 43 from the ratchet teeth 26, it being unnecessary when the dog 15 is secured by the pin 39 for the pawl 43 to be in engagement with the ratchet teeth 26. I/Vhen the pin 39 is pulled outwardly from the dog 15, the pressure of the head 40 against the outer end of the lever-arm 41 will be released and then the spring dog 43 will automatically pass into engagement with the ratchet 26. I may, however, free both pin 39 and pawl 43 from the dog 15 by pulling outwardly on the pin and turning the lever-arm 44 to withdraw the pawl 43 from the ratchet 26. I provide a small han dle 45 on the lever-arm 44 for convenience in manually releasing the pawl 43 from the ratchet 26.

An important part of my invention pertains to mechanism for automatically stopping the movement of the knee 14 before the dog 15 has passed intofthe plane of the saw 16, mechanism for automatically releasing the pin 39 from the dog and causing the pawl 43 to pass into engagement with said dog preparatory to the readjustment of the latter by the Sawyer, and mechanism operable by the dog on its inward movement under the action of the spring 38, to free the knee 14 from the means which stopped its movement.

The mechanism provided for stopping the knee in its movement toward lthe saw 16 comprises a hook 46 pivoted to the side of the knee 14, and a pin 47 extending laterally from the block 10 in position to be engaged by said hook during the travel of the knee toward the saw. When the hook 46 engages the pin 47 the knee will become locked against further movement toward the saw, and at such time the Sawyer will know that it is time for him to readjust the dog 15. I provide means for automatically freeing the hook 46 from the pin 47, and while this operation will be hereinafter described, I will at this place refer to the immediate devices connected with the hook for enabling its automatic release. The hook 46 is provided with a short upwardly extending crank arm 48, and to this arm is pivotally connected one end of a rod 49, whose other end is pivoted to a crank arm 50 carried by the lower end of a vertical pivotally mounted flat bar 51, the latter being held at its upper end in an arm 52 secured to the upper end of the knee 14 and at its lower end .in a bearing 53 secured to or formed on the lower member of said knee. vWhen the dog 15 is released and drawn inwardly by the spring 38, the inner end of its body 22 will strike the vertical bar 51 at one side of its axial line and cause said bar to t-urn, and the bar 51 thus set in motion will swing the crank arm 50 in a direction toward the saw 16 and thereby through the rod 49 and crank arm 48'turn the hook 46 upwardly from the pin 47, thus releasing the knee 14.

The means for automatically releasing the pin 39 from the dog 15 comprises three main parts, the rst being the rod 54 (Fig. 6) having one end encompassing the pin 39 adjacent to that end of the lever 44 which is on said pin and having its body portion 55 normally extended through a bearing 56 on the box 27 and along the edge of the knee 14 and beyond said knee, there being a spring 57 on the rod 54 serving to normally project the body portion 55 of said rod beyond the edge of the knee. The second part of the said pin releasing mechanism comprises a vertical bar 58 hinged to the side of the knee 14 and carrying atits lower end a downwardly projecting arm 59. The bar 58 projects inwardly beyond the edge of theknee 14, as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, so that said bar when moved in a direction toward the knee and box 27 will strike the projecting end of the rod 54 and press the same frontwardly against the stress of the spring 57. The bar 58 normally stands in the inclined position shown in Fig. 5 and is there yieldingly held by means of a spring 60. The hinges securing' the bar 58 are such as to prevent the spring 60 from drawing the bar 58 outwardly from the knee beyond a suitably inclined position such as shown in Fig. 5. The third part of the pin releasing mechanism consists of a cam bar 61 (Fig. 2) secured to the side of the block 10 adjacent to the outer end of the latter. The arm 59 projecting downwardly from the bar 58 will, during the outward travel of the knee, be carried against the cam bar 61, and since the latter is designed for that purpose, the movement of said arm 59 along said bar will result in the arm acting to turn the bar 58 on its hinges in the direction toward the box 27 and `rod 54, and this will occur when the knee 14 has reached a position at which the sawyer should adjust the dog 15. When the arm 59 is acted on by the cam 61 and the bar 58 is turned inwardly toward the box 27, said bar 58 will press against and drive the Vrod 54 inwardl or to the front and toward the sawyer, an in doing so the end of said rod which is on the pin 39 will force said pin outwardly from the dog 15 and thereby effect the release of the dog so far as the pin 39 is concerned. The movement of the rod 54 to release the pin 39 also acts against the outer end of the lever 44 and rocks said lever in a direction to cause the pawl 43 to pass into engagement with the ratchet teeth 26. The operation of automatically releasing the pin 39 from the dog 15 thus results in also applying the pawl 43 to the ratchet 26 so that the dog 15 will be held against moving outwardly under any force that may be applied to it, such as, for instance, the pull which the log itself, if inclined to tilt, might exert against said dog.

In the condition of the mechanism just described with the pin 39 free of the dog 15 and the pawl 43 in engagement with said dog, it will be the duty ofthe Sawyer to readj ust the dog, the knee 14 having traveled toward the saw 16 to the safe limit, and the sawyer will, therefore, first free the dog 15 from the log 11 and allow the spring 38 to retract the dog to its inward position, the dog at that time being entirely free to be acted on by said spring, and the Sawyer will then again drive the prong of the dog into the log and proceed with the sawing` operation. The further movement of the knee and log toward the saw may be safely performed since at such time the dog is in its retracted position with its prong close to the knee and to the edge of the log. During the final portion of the movement of the knee and log toward the saw the dog will be held by the pawl 43, since at such time the bar 58 still controlled by the cam 61, prevents the pin 39 from engaging the dog.

After the sawing has been completed the knee 14 will be redrawn to its normal position toward the right (looking at Fig. l), and the bar 58 will thereby be removed from the influence of the cam 61, so that it may be restored by the spring 60 to its normal outer position shown in Fig. 5. After the bar 58 has moved outwardly to its normal position the spring 57 and spring 42 will move the rod 54 and pin 39 inwardly to their normal positions.

The operation of the fea-tures constituting my invention will be largely understood from the foregoing description, and but brief further explanation is necessary.

The Sawyer may readily, by means of the handle bar 31 and eccentric 30, adjust the box or frame 27 on the bar 28 and secure it in its adjusted position, and he may readily adjust the dog 15 horizontally to the required position and secure it by the pin 39. The point of the prong 21 of the dog 15 is driven into the log as usual, and thereupon the operation of sawing may be proceeded with. As each section of the log is sawed off the sawyer will advance the knee and log, as usual, through the gear wheel 19 and rack 18. Vhen during the use of the mill the dog has sufiiciently approached the saw to make its further movement in that direction unsafe, the bar 58 will be acted on by the cam G1 and free the pin 39 from the dog, and preferably immediately following that step thc hook L16 will engage the pin 47 and hold the knee against any further movement vuntil after the dog has been reset. IVhen the knee has been thus arrested by the hook, the sawyer will release the dog from the log and allow the spring 38 to retract the dogtoward the box or frame 27, and he will thereupon again force the dog into engagement with the log and proceed with the operation of the mill, the knee having become free, as hereinbefore explained, from theV hook 46 by turning upwardly from said hook under the thrust of the body portion 22 of the dog 15 against the bar 51.

My invention not only saves the time of the Sawyer, but prevents such accident as would follow from the dog passing into the path or plane of the saw.

I do not limit my invention to all of the details shown in the drawings, since I am aware that these may be modified in several ways without departing from the invention.

I illustrate in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 one moditied form of the invention in which I place the bar (corresponding with the bar 58 of Fig. at the front side of the knee la instead of on the opposite side thereof, and provide on the lower end of said bar TO an inwardly projecting arm 71 to ride against an inclined or cam surface 72 provided on the block 10. In the arrangement of the bar 70, arm 71, and cam 72 shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the pin 39-will be released by being pulled outwardly from the dog. The bar 70 will be set behind a collar 73 on the pin 39 so that when the bar is moved outwardly by the cam it will press outwardly on the pin, with the same results attained by the bar 58 arranged as shown in Fig. 5. The bar 70 is hinged to the bar 28 of the knee, as clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a saw-mill, a frame to be adjusted vertically on a knee of the mill, means for securing said frame in its adjusted positions, a dog mounted to slide horizontally in said frame and adapted at its outer end to be driven into positive engagement with a log, separate means for positively securing the dog in its relation to the log, and means for automatically releasing said dog-securing means from the dog without withdrawing the dog from the log when the knee reaches a definite position with relation to the saw; substantially as set forth.

2. In a saw-mill, a frame to be adjusted vertically on a knee of the mill, means for securing said frame in its adjusted positions, a dog mounted to slide horizontally in said frame and adapted at its outer end to be driven into positive engagement with a log, separate means for positively securing the dog in its relation to the log, means for auto# matically releasing said dog-securing means from the dog without withdrawing the dog from the log when the knee reaches a definite position with relation to the saw, and mea-ns for thereafter automatically retract ing the dog when the latter is manually freed from the log; substantially as set forth.

3. In a saw-mill, a dog for the knee, means for securing the dog in its relation to the log, means for automatically releasing said securing means from the dog when the knee reaches a definite position, means for automatically retracting the released dog when the latter is freed from the log, and means for engaging the dog after the release of the said securing means therefrom to prevent the dog from being pulled outwardly by the log; substantially as set forth.

4. In a saw-mill, a dog for the knee, means for securing the dog in its relation to the log, means for automatically releasing said securing means from the dog when the knee reaches a definite position, a spring for retracting the released dog when the latter is freed from the log, and pawl and ratchet mechanism for preventing the dog after its release from said securing means from being pulled outwardly by the log; substantially as set forth.

5. 1n a saw-mill, a frame to be adjusted vertically on a knee of the mill, means for securing said frame in its adjusted positions, a dog mounted to slide horizontally in said frame and adapted at its outer end to be driven into positive engagement with a log, separate means for positively securing the dog in its relation to the log, and means for automatically releasing said dog-securing means from the dog without withdrawing the dog from the log when the knee reaches a definite position with relation to the saw, the means for releasing said dog-securing means from the dog comprising a movable bar carried by the knee in operative connection with said securing means, and means on the block in the path of said bar for effecting its movement; substantially as set forth.

6. In a saw-mill, a frame to be adjusted vertically on a knee of the mill, means for securing said frame in its adjusted positions, a dog mounted to slide horizontally in said frame and adapted at its outer end to be driven into positive engagement with a log, separate means for positively securing the dog in its relation to the log, and means for automatically releasing said dogsecurlos ing means from the dog without withdrawing the dog from the log when the knee reaches a definite position with relation to the saw,.the means for releasing said dogsecuring means from the dog comprising a pivoted bar carried by the knee in operative connection with Said securing means, and a cam on the block against which a part of said bar is carried by the knee and which moves said bar to effect the release of said securing means from the dog; substantially as set forth.

7. In a saw-mill, a fra-me mounted on the knee, a dog slidable therein, a spring connected with the dog for normally retracting it to its inner position, av pin for securing said dog in its adjusted position, and pawl and ratchet mechanism for holding the dog against outward movement when said pin is released; substantially as set forth.

8. In a saw-mill, a frame mounted on the knee, a dog slidable therein, a spring connected with the dog for normally retracting itto its inner position, a pin for securing said dog in its adjusted position, pawl and ratchet mechanism for holding the dog against outward movement when the pin is released, and means for automatically releasing the pin from'said dog when the knee reaches a certain position; substantially as set forth.

9. In a saw-mill, a frame mounted on the knee, a dog slidable therein, a spring connected with the dog for normally retracting it to its inner position, a pin for securing said dog in its adjusted position, pawl and ratchet mechanism for holding the dog against outward movement when the pin is released, and means for automatically releasing the pin from said dog when the knee reaches a certain position, said means comprising a movable member carried by the knee in operative connection with said pin and an obstruction on the block in the path of said member for actuating it; substantially as set forth.

10. In a saw-mill, a frame mounted on the knee, a dog slidable therein, a spring connected with the dog for normally retracting it to its inner position, a pin for securing said dog in its adjusted position, pawl and ratchet mechanism for holding the dog against outward movement when the pin is released, and means for automatically releasing the pin from said dog when the knee reaches a certain position, said means comprising a pivoted member carried by the knee in operative connection with said pin and a cam on the block in the path of said member for actuating it; substantially as 11. In a saw-mill, a dog for the knee, means for securing the dog 1n its relation to the log, means for automatically releasing said securing means from the dog when the knee reaches a definite position with relation to the saw, and means for then automatically engaging the dog to prevent its outward movement under the pull of the log; substantially as set forth.

12. In a saw-mill, a dog for the knee, means for securing the dog in its relation to the log, means for automatically releasing said securing means from the dog when the knee reaches a definite position with relation to the saw, and pawl and ratchet mechanism for then automatically holding the dog against outward movement; substantially as set forth.

13. In a saw-mill, a dog for the knee, means for securing the dog, means for automatically releasing said securing means when the knee reaches a definite position with relation to the saw, mea-ns for arresting the knee when it has traveled to a definite position, means for retracting the dog when it is released from the log, and means operable on the retraction of the dog for freeing said arresting means from the knee; substantially as set forth.

14. In a saw-mill, a dog for the knee, means for securing the dog, means for arresting the knee when it has traveled a safe distance toward the saw, and means operable from the retraction of the dog for freeing said arresting means from the knee; substantially as set forth.

15. In a saw-mill, a dog for the knee, means for securing the dog, means for automatically releasing said securing means when the knee reaches a definite position, means for then automatically engaging the dog to prevent its outward movement under the pull of the log, means for arresting the knee in a safe position, means for retracting the dog when it is released from the log, and means in the path of and operable by the retracting dog for freeing said arresting means from the knee; substantially as set forth. v

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 25th day of September A. D. 1909.

DANIEL WALLACE JONES.

CEAS. C. GILL.

Aset forth. 

